


Zintiel things

by sneakyroguethief



Series: Praesarys [1]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Original Work
Genre: F/F, F/M, Family Dynamics, Feels, Gen, High Fantasy, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Character of Color, M/M, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:28:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25206238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sneakyroguethief/pseuds/sneakyroguethief
Summary: a collection of little stories about my elf rogue
Relationships: Athras/Shae, Zintiel/Cenobia
Series: Praesarys [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1826086
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	1. Zintiel's first scar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five-year-old Zintiel gets his first scar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Undercommon translation notes:  
> kel'na: dad  
> lotha sadei: little fox  
> xsa ol: damnit

Zintiel quietly snuck into his father’s study. On the desk was a simple metal lockbox. The small boy chewed at the insides of his cheeks excitedly as he pulled out his new picks and began to work them in the mechanism of the lock. Click, click, click, and then a satisfying pop! The lock opened. Zintiel grinned. He lifted the lid of the box and felt something snag. His smile vanished and his yellow-green eyes went wide in alarm.

"Xsa ol," he cursed under his breath as he dove for cover from a small explosion. He felt a sharp sting as metal grazed his chin.

"Nice try, lotha sadei. But what’d you forget?" A petite, adult elf with the same icy grey-white complexion as Zintiel stepped out of seemingly thin air.

"To check for traps," Zintiel admitted miserably to his father.

"Yep. Won’t be forgetting that next time, will you?"

"No."

"Good," Athras smiled proudly at his son and flipped a gold coin at him.

Zintiel caught it and grinned, blood dripping down his face onto his shirt now. "I’ll do better next time, kel’na."

The door to the study sharply flew open.

A tall muscular bronze-skinned elf stood in the doorway. She looked from her husband to her son. "Holy flame! What in the actual- Athras! Why is our son bleeding?"

"I forgot to check for traps," Zintiel answered earnestly, embarrassed indigo flashing across his pale face.

Shae rushed to the boy’s side and dabbed at the blood to get a closer look at his injury. Fiery golden light glowed at her fingertips.

Zintiel grabbed her hand when he saw the light. "No, mama, I wanna keep it," he protested.

Shae glared at him and then at Athras, and then her gaze softened. "Why, lotha sadei? Give me a good reason to leave it."

"To help me remember to check for traps?"

Shae’s lips tightened into a stern ball, and the light from her hand grew brighter.

"Because it makes me look more like kel’na," Zintiel finally admitted as the warm light moved closer to his face.

The light abruptly vanished. Shae sighed and ran a hand through her son’s hair and pulled him into a hug. He wanted so much to be like his father. She could scarcely see any of her own features in him. "Alright," she conceded. "But we’re going to go get you cleaned up because I won’t see that wound get infected, lotha sadei." Shae scooped Zintiel into her arms like he weighed no more than a piece of paper. She turned her face to her husband on her way out but said nothing more as she carried Zintiel to the bathroom to properly clean and dress his wound.


	2. Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Athras trains six-year-old Zintiel with knives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Undercommon translation notes:  
> lotha sadei: little fox
> 
> The Thieves Guild is referred to as the Deck of Many Thieves and is playing-card themed.  
> King is the top rank, and there is only one. The King's personal agents are the Aces. Directly under the King are the four Queens, one for each suit. Even though certain cards like King or Queen have gendered connotations, any gender can hold those ranks. Athras and the King before him just happen to be men.

Athras took a deep breath and chewed at the inside of his cheek. He could feel himself growing frustrated with his son. "Zintiel, you’re not taking this seriously."

The boy frowned and looked up at his father with large luminous yellow-green eyes, a tiny mirror of Athras in his youth. "Am too," he sulked, crossing his arms.

"If you were taking this seriously, your mother wouldn’t have to mend your clothes after every practice," Athras shot back.

Zintiel scuffed his foot against the stone floor of his dad’s work office, voice small and unconvinced as he spoke, "Mama doesn’t mind."

Athras stooped to his son’s level. "Your mother doesn’t mind because I have enough control to only cut your clothes, lotha sadei. Remember that."

Zintiel chewed at the insides of his cheeks obstinately as he allowed his father’s words to sink in. "Okay. Again?"

Athras nodded and rose to his full height. He was tiny, but he was still quite a bit taller than his young son for the time being. "Again." Athras turned his back to his child. He could hear the boy stalking around him, looking for subtle openings as he’d been taught.

Zintiel lunged. Steel rang on steel as their daggers clashed, again and again, faster and faster as Zintiel’s confidence grew with each strike. Zintiel was using two to Athras’ one. Athras watched a crooked smile pull across his son’s face. 

A knock came at the door. "Enter!" Athras called without slowing pace with Zintiel. 

The familiar face of one of Athras’ Aces, a drow named Diviica, came in with an armful of ledgers but still managed to salute him. "My King, these just came in from Queen Fesri." She offered him the stacks of bound pages, and Athras took them in one hand while keeping his dagger active in the other.

Zintiel’s ears perked up. "Is Auntie Fez here?" His face dropped immediately at the sharp ripping sound of fabric.

Diviica concealed a smirk behind her hand. "Training, my King?"

"Yes, we’re doing it here since his mother is away."

"Why did- forgive me, my King, I should not pry," Diviica quickly backpedalled.

"Don’t let it happen again," Athras murmured far more casually than the words themselves implied. They had been close nearly as long as he and Fesri had, but this office was his seat of power and he needed to make clear the boundary between his personal friendships and work. He waved his hand awkwardly with the ledgers still clung to him. He put his dagger away and scooped Zintiel into his arms. "Perhaps you might join us outside of this. We could catch up."

Diviica’s features relaxed again, and she gave Athras a brief understanding smile before saluting and leaving him alone with Zintiel once more.

Athras felt the point of a small knife press lightly against his throat and smirked at his son. "Very good, lotha sadei. Are you ready for lunch?" The blade quickly vanished back into its hidden sheath, and the boy nodded and grinned at him. Athras carried Zintiel over to the desk and put him down along with the ledgers. 

Zintiel peeked idly down at the series of characters and numbers that meant nothing to him while his father pulled out a basket of food and began to unpack it for them.

"Where did mama go?" the boy asked, closing the booklet.

Athras sighed and chewed at the inside of his cheek, deciding whether or not to lie to his son. "Her mother died so she returned to the place she grew up to attend the funeral."

Zintiel frowned and stopped swinging his legs off the side of the desk, tucking them up under his chin instead. "Oh. That’s sad. Why can’t we be there with her?"

"Because I have to run the Deck, and you have training if you want a place in it." It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either. Athras didn’t want to tell Zintiel what his mother had given up in staying here. It wasn’t just her name or her title or her status but her family. Zintiel didn't need to know yet.

Zintiel nodded and considered as he ate his sandwich. "You purposefully gave me that opening, didn’t you? When you picked me up."

A wide grin spread over Athras’ scarred lips.

"Kel’na, you can’t just-"

"Oh, don’t you worry. It won’t happen again. I just wanted to see if you’d take the shot if I put it out there. And you did well. Thank you for waiting until Diviica left to make the move though."

"You invited her to spend time outside the Deck. Did you know her from before like Auntie Fez?"

Athras’ smile fell and he put his sandwich down, appetite gone. "We met working under the same King. He was…" He shook his head and rested it on steepled fingers.

Zintiel had never seen his father look so tired.

"He was a cruel person, and I hope you never meet anyone like him in your life," Athras finished finally. "Diviica and I survived him, and she was there the night I took the throne from him."

Zintiel stared at his father with wide eyes, expression grave, "So… when I take the throne from you, does that mean I have to-"

"No. My goal for you is to earn enough strength in the Deck to hand it off to you when I’m ready to be done. That is if you decide this is the life you want. Perhaps-"

"Yes! I’m gonna earn my way up and take over the Deck from you, and you can live happily ever after with mama because I’m gonna do a great job!" Zintiel interrupted enthusiastically.

Athras chuckled, "Well then. You’re certainly going to have to train harder if you want to make that happen. If you can get through a training session where your mother doesn’t have to mend your clothes afterwards, then we can talk about you joining the Deck."

Zintiel opened his mouth to argue the terms.

"The training will only get more intense from there, lotha sadei. I won’t add you to the Deck unless I know you’re ready."

Zintiel closed his mouth again and nodded, hopping down from the desk. "More training then?"

"Have you gotten enough to eat?"

"Yep! Let’s go!" Zintiel rushed to put everything away so that his father would have nothing else to object to.

"Very well," Athras stood and took up his position in the centre of the office again with his single blade out and waited for Zintiel to begin.


	3. The Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zintiel's parents talk to him about sex

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zintiel is an older teen but not quite an adult yet. To be clear, he is experimenting with fooling around but not having sex yet.
> 
> Athras has a rough complicated past, and some of it is touched on here. This portion alone nearly made me change this whole set to a Mature rating
> 
> Undercommon translation notes:  
> kel'na: dad  
> lotha sadei: little fox

Shae drew up the torches as she entered the house. She deposited her bag on the kitchen counter and began to pull assorted produce from it when she heard a dull, somewhat rhythmic thudding coming from upstairs. Athras was likely still at his work office, and Zintiel should have been at his lessons. 

She quietly climbed the stairs to the second floor, the only light the flame she carried in the palm of her hand. The chance of an intruder being in the house was improbable, but she would rather be prepared. The sound grew louder as she crossed the landing toward the small ladder that led up to her son’s room, and with it, she heard a loud unrepressed moan followed by faint giggling.

A tinge of red shaded her light brown cheeks as her lips pulled into a knowing grin. She folded her arms and stared up at the hatch to her son’s room in thought. Her parents had never caught her. Her older sister had, which had been traumatic enough for the pair of them. Hmmm… She strode over to hers and Athras’ bedroom door and cracked it open before pulling it shut again forcefully.

She heard muffled expletives in both Undercommon and what she recognised loosely as Orcish from her son and another masculine voice. Her hand flew to her mouth to cover her own snickering.

“Godsdammit, where are your pants?” Zintiel uttered in clear exasperation.

Two pairs of feet scrambling over the floor. A window slamming open.

Shae couldn’t help herself. She just stood beneath the hatch, waiting for the inevitable.

A few seconds passed before the wooden slat slid back, and a mess of long wavy ginger hair flopped down through the hole, followed by a pair of bright yellow-green eyes that reflected in her firelight. He wheezed, out of breath, “Mum! So umm, h- how long have you been home?”

Her deep green-blue eyes twinkled in the light of her flame, also illuminating her vulpine grin. “Excellent question, Zintiel. How long have _you_ been home? I thought you had lessons with Nitra today.”

The upper half of Zintiel’s face that was hanging out of the hole flushed indigo. “Yes, but they let me out early. Had some errands to run, they said.”

“Ah, well then. Why don’t you come down and have a cup of tea with me, hmm?”

“Sure, yeah, I’ll be right down, alright?” His heart raced as he watched his mother go back down the stairs. He rolled over onto his back and breathed heavily, letting his heart slow before getting up. 

He got dressed and went downstairs to find his mother at the kitchen table with two steaming cups. She gestured for him to sit down. Zintiel’s hands shook as he took a seat. He stared at his knees, waiting for her to say something, but the only sounds he heard were his mother sipping her tea. He finally looked up. She was… smiling?

“So, why didn’t you invite your guest to tea?”

“Huh? W- w- what guest? What’re you, uh, talking about?” Zintiel stammered. Kel’na would have been absolutely appalled to see him lie so poorly.

Shae sipped her tea once more, though her eyes never left her son’s face. “Uh-huh, right. So you were just alone up in your room?”

“Yeah, alone, no one was up there, just me,” he continued the lie.

Shae crossed her arms and smirked. “Of course, of course. And, were you, umm, using protection when you were by yourself?”

The whole of Zintiel’s greyish-white skin turned a deep shade of purple, and his voice cracked, “For Calistria’s sake, mum!”

“I just want to make sure that you’re being safe, you know, for whatever you were doing… or whomever.” She snorted, and her kind smile shifted into a smug grin.

“MUM! Please!” the young elf groaned.

Shae shrugged, “I’m just saying, I don’t care who you’ve got up there or what you’re doing, just that you’re being safe about it and that everyone’s having a good time, okay?”

Zintiel relaxed a little more and reached for his own cup. “You- wait, really?”

The usual familiar kindness shone through on Shae’s face. She was done embarrassing her son for the time being. “Yes.”

“So you’re not… upset with me?” he asked cautiously.

“Did you skip out on your lessons to have sex?” she replied, tone stern.

“No, Nitra really did have things to do. And, I ran into- uh, someone,” he covered quickly, “on my way back home, and we were talking, and then I invited him back with me. Because… well, we uh, wanted to, umm, do things?”

“Does this someone have a name?” Shae prodded, knowing full-well she probably wasn’t going to get an answer.

“He does, but… I shouldn’t,” Zintiel looked away from his mother again. He had started his training in the Deck now, and he knew he wasn’t supposed to be mixing business with pleasure. But Eske was really cute… and they both really wanted to. He enjoyed his company, among other things. Zintiel blushed again, though this time it was because he was thinking about the handsome orc who had climbed out his window not ten minutes prior.

“Shouldn’t because…?” Shae blinked, suddenly understanding what her son wasn’t telling her. “He’s one of your father’s then.” It wasn’t a question. Zintiel confirmed with a brief nod. “Okay, then. Are things serious with him? Or is this just a casual fling? Are there feelings involved, or are you just having fun? Also, you never answered my earlier question. Were you using protection?”

“I, umm, I think it’s just fun. I mean, I like him, but it probably won’t go anywhere… kel'na told me not to.”

“Your father told you not to with him? Or not to period?” Shae pressed further.

“Period,” Zintiel grimaced. “I’m not supposed to…” he paused, trying to figure out a better way than just to say that he wasn’t supposed to fool around with other Deck associates to his mother. “I’m not supposed to interfere with kel'na’s business.”

Shae chortled. “That’s one way of putting it.”

“But Eske’s hot, and he was flirting with me,” pouted Zintiel.

“Eske, huh?” A voice interrupted from the dark hallway just outside the kitchen.

Zintiel’s hands flew to his mouth in panic. “Oh fuck.”

Athras emerged from the shadows with a smirk on his face. He tousled his son’s hair as he passed by to pour himself a cup of tea. “You, lotha sadei, need to work on your impulse control.” He planted a kiss on his wife’s head and settled into the seat next to her at the table. “So, what did I miss?”

Shae looked at Zintiel with kindness in her eyes. “Do you want to tell him or shall I?”

“I guess I might as well…” The young elf sighed. “Okay, so Nitra dismissed me early today, so I went down to the Rebellious Princess, and I ran into Eske. And we were flirting, and one thing led to another, and I invited him home, and then… well, mum got home, while we were…” Zintiel cleared his throat, his cheeks stained periwinkle.

“Were you using protection?” Athras asked in the empty space.

Periwinkle turned to indigo that spread from Zintiel's cheeks out to his long pointed ears and down his neck. “Calistria’s Sting! Yes! Or, I suppose we would have if things had escalated that far.”

“That far meaning sex?” Athras prodded.

“Oh my gods, yes.” Zintiel buried his face in his hands, feeling like he might die of embarrassment.

“And, I mean, you know how to do that, right?” Shae chimed in.

The blue-violet in Zintiel’s pale face deepened. He pinched himself to be sure that what was happening was really real. “Y- yeah, basically something or another goes in some sort of orifice or something.”

Shae nodded, “Okay, good, good. And it should feel good and everyone involved needs to want it or you shouldn’t do it. And it’s also okay to stop if you change your mind in the middle and decide that you don’t want it.”

“Yeah, I know that stuff too.”

“You know, if you have any questions whatsoever, we’re here for you. It doesn’t have to be embarrassing, okay? Like I said earlier, so long as no one is getting hurt, everyone wants it, and you’re being safe and having fun, it’s perfectly fine for you to explore your sexuality here at home.” Shae reached out a hand toward their son.

“But preferably, not with your fellow Deck-mates please,” Athras added with a grimace.

Zintiel smirked at his father and took his mother’s hand. “I’ll try.”

Athras clapped a hand down upon Zintiel’s, sandwiching it between his and Shae’s with a gentle smile.

“So, you like men then?” Shae broached, her upturned eyes widening in curiosity.

Zintiel grimaced and pulled his hand away from between his parents'. “I haven’t actually been with anyone physically, not really, not like that,” he answered sheepishly. “But I think I like people of all sorts. I find them attractive anyway.”

Warmth radiated from Shae. “Me too. Though admittedly, I have been with… mmm, a fair few at this point. Before I settled down with your father that is.” She shrugged casually, “What can I say, I like sex. A lot. But it doesn’t matter if you’ve been with one or none or hundreds, who you like is who you like.”

“Indeed,” Athras added, wrapping his inside arm around Shae’s waist. He gazed up at her with a soft fire that shone with love.

Zintiel sat there processing everything he’d been told. “Wait. Hundreds?”

“I _really_ like sex,” chuckled Shae.

Athras snorted. “That she does.”

“But wait how does-”

“In secret, just like a certain young man,” she replied pointedly.

Zintiel turned his attention to his father, “So wait, okay. If Mum likes everyone, who do you like, kel’na?”

Athras continued to gaze up at Shae for a moment before looking back to his son. His voice was strangely gentle and vulnerable. “Just your mother. Haven’t really met anyone else quite like her.”

“I don’t really understand… Do you just like women?”

“I suppose I could like men or women or however someone identified, given time. But the truth of it is that I never really enjoyed sex or even wanted it until Shae. Sex wasn’t for me. It was… just work, a performance. Something done to pleasure someone else.”

“Oh.” Zintiel stared down at his hands, unsure of what else to say.

“Such was life when I came into the Deck. But things have changed. I have changed. The Deck has changed. Things are different now, much better than they were, and now I find myself actually enjoying making love with your mother.” He sighed and leaned against his wife, and Shae shifted to wrap her arms around him. After a moment, Athras spoke up again, voice still a bit tired sounding, but more like how Zintiel was used to hearing him. “To go back to what you were saying, about you haven’t really been with that many… but just how many of my agents have you been fooling around with?”

“Eske’s the only one! Honest!” Zintiel held his hands in the air defensively.

“Better be the last too,” Athras muttered.

Zintiel nodded.

“Good.” Athras lightly tapped Shae's forearm with his fingers. She released him from her hold, and he rose from his seat. “I left some notes in my study that I needed. I’ll be back later for your training.”

“Kel’na?” Zintiel stopped him before he’d reached the hall. “Eske’s not going to be in trouble, is he?”

Athras rolled his eyes. “No. But he might have to work just a little harder for his next rank. Can’t have people talking about favouritism just because he’s fucking my son.”

“But we didn’t even- Wait, so does that mean I can still see him?” Zintiel asked hopefully.

Athras’ head cocked to the side, his eyebrows knit together. “What do you think?”

“No…” the young elf grumbled sourly.

“There’s a smart lad. Since you missed out on lessons with Nitra, perhaps you might help your mother around the house.”

“Alright…” Zintiel agreed with a groan.

“Sure, Zintiel, I’d love your help,” Shae sassed.

“Sorry, mum,” Zintiel apologised. He sighed. “I’m just… a little bummed out. I didn’t mean-”

Her cheeky expression softened into a kind smile. “I know. But I assure you, there are plenty of people out there who don’t work for your father who would be just as happy to fill that young man’s place in your life or in your bed.”

“Thanks, mum.”

“You’re welcome, lotha sadei.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To put terms to each characters' sexuality:  
> Athras: demisexual, panromantic  
> Shae: pansexual  
> Zintiel: pansexual


	4. A small cut

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zintiel earns his second (face) scar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zintiel is just barely an adult in this one

Zintiel slipped in the back entrance of Shii'tain's establishment. He toyed with his list of receipts as he made his way to her office. He knocked on the door and then slipped out of sight and waited.

"Yes?" she called from inside. After a long moment with no answer, there was a  frustrated growl accompanied the sound of a chair scraping the ground as she got up and made her way to the door with a grumble.

As soon as the door opened, Zintiel crept past her, only just managing to stay out of sight. If he were a larger elf or less well-trained, the manoeuvre wouldn’t have been possible. But with his slender, nimble form and years of training from the best, he was all but a shadow shifting past the hobgoblin woman. H e settled in her seat while she was distracted and lounged idly in it.

"You gonna leave me waiting here all day?" he asked with a cocky smirk.

Shii'tain cursed as she nearly jumped out of her skin. She should have known it was him. So typical for him pull this sort of thing.

"Well, if it isn’t daddy’s little errand boy. So, what does my King demand?" she answered acidly, closing the door behind her.

"Nothing," Zintiel shrugged, still smirking.

Shii'tain visibly relaxed. This wasn't official business then. She scowled at the boy seated at her desk, "So, to what do I owe the  _ pleasure  _ of this visit?"

"Well, you see, it's like this," Zintiel leaned forward and flopped the papers on her desk. "You've been dealing under the table, and rather sloppily, I might add."

Shii'tain's jaw clenched, hand coming to rest on the hilt of the shortsword at her side. "What of it?"

Zintiel's grin widened, "I mean, I could easily overlook it… for a small cut of the profits."

She glanced at his evidence. By the looks of it, he had her cornered. "And what do I get out of this bargain?" 

The young elf’s petite nose wrinkled briefly as if smelling something unpleasant. "You know what Loraris does to those who…  _ disrupt _ her business, don't you? I’d certainly hate to be on her Ripper’s bad side, wouldn’t you?" Zintiel reclined back further in Shii'tain's seat. "Not to mention what the King would do if she left your punishment in his hands. Father can be rather creative when it comes to discipline. By the way, those are just copies. I've got the originals in a safe place."

"And who all knows you're here?" It wouldn’t matter if these were just copies if no one knew where to find the originals.

Zintiel felt the energy in the room shift. "Do you really think you can best me, Shii'tain? I’ve more than proven that I’m not just an Ace because my dad runs the Deck." He couldn’t stop the vulpine grin that spread over his features. He hadn’t been caught off guard by this turn of events, but he had considered it to be rather low odds. Still, the prospect of a scrap with Shii'tain made his fingers twitch eagerly. It had been a while since he’d had a real challenge.

"Maybe. Maybe not. But there’s only one way to find out, isn’t there?" She launched her blade at his chest. She didn’t want to clean up a huge mess by herself. And she would be absolutely alone in this. Killing the King’s son, not to mention one of the favourites of two of the Queens, she’d never make it out alive if she left any proof.

However, Zintiel saw her attack coming and had pushed himself down just in time. He slid out of the chair and under the table towards her legs. Zintiel attempted to kick her legs out from under her but rolled away when she pulled a second shortsword. He skirted around her in the small office, dodging as she hacked at him. He had known she was good to have risen in the ranks as quickly as she had, but he hadn’t realised she would present this much of a challenge. She had drawn steel first and was using her reach and the size of the room to make up for his higher dexterity and speed, keeping him on the defensive. He couldn’t get inside her guard at all. He couldn’t even get close enough to trade blows with her. All he could do was keep running away, and she was smart enough to keep him from getting out the door.

Shii’tain let out a frustrated shriek at Zintiel and hurled her other sword at him. It seemed the rumours of her temper hadn’t been all that exaggerated. He dropped to the ground just in time, the shortsword burying itself into the wall halfway up the length of the blade. The power advantage was clearly hers, and that was the kind of advantage that meant a lot in a cramped, confined space like this one. He searched the room frantically for another way out. There was a high, tiny window that looked like Shii’tain had it installed as an emergency exit, which meant that he could fit through it too, but he’d need to hold her off long enough to make it there.

"What’s the matter, Zintiel? I thought you wanted a small cut," she taunted, using his moment of investigation to close on him with a fresh dagger pulled from her boot.

"Of the money, asshole!" he answered her blade with his own, redirecting the blow rather than attempting to stop it, allowing the momentum to make her bump into the corner of her table, briefly throwing her off balance. It was a small opening, but it was enough. He drove his dagger down, the strike connected with the meat of her thigh, slowing her pursuit. "Guess you’ll be finding out Eurypedes’ methods first hand. It was nice knowing you." He left the dagger buried in her leg and bolted for the window.

"Oh no, you don’t," Shii’tain growled. She pulled the knife from her leg and clambered after him. She yanked him down from the window sill, tossing him back into her chair so hard that only his impeccable balance kept him from falling over in a tangled mess of limbs and furniture. She closed on him with a speed that told him she had the discipline to ignore her leg wound even if only briefly and swung a killing blow at his neck. 

If Zintiel had been an instant slower, or if the blade were a bit longer, that might have been it, but physical instinct took over as the tiny elf slid the chair back, pushing him just out of range of the fatal swing; however, the edge caught Zintiel in the face with his own knife instead. He let out a yelp of pain and kicked her in the face with all he had. Shii’tain stumbled backwards and heard glass shatter as Zintiel found his escape.

"Fuck." Shii’tain hurled Zintiel’s knife at her office door and ripped part of her shirt to tie around her bleeding leg.

A knock came at the door.

"What?!" she yelled, not in the mood for any more guests.

The door opened, and Shii’tain’s face dropped. Standing in her doorway was the King of the Deck of Many Thieves, Athras himself. He looked eerily similar to his son that she had just tried to kill, with the same icy pale skin, vibrant green eyes, and long ginger hair. Athras was just older and looked a bit more worn up-close, and without his distinctive scars and broken nose, the pair of them were quite difficult to tell apart, a fact which Zintiel had always used to his advantage.

Shii’tain raised her fist to her heart in salute. "My King, to what do I owe this-"

Athras stopped her. "Have you seen my son? Reports last had him in this area, and-"

A shard of glass fell to the floor behind Shii’tain.

"You know… he just left."

"I see." Athras glanced over the trashed room, Shii’tain’s black eye and bloodied lip, his face completely unreadable. He took a few steps forward and picked up one of the stray papers Zintiel had left that had been scattered about the room during their fight. "Clean yourself up and report to my office. I think you and I need to have… a discussion." He turned to leave, paper still in hand.

"Yes, my King." She saluted again, and the door closed between them once more.

*

Athras found Zintiel stumbling in an alleyway not too far from Shii’tain’s. He dragged him home and placed him in front of Cenobia along with a large sum of cash. "Please say nothing of this to my wife."

Zintiel felt the sight returning to his left eye with the warm golden light of Cenobia's healing magics, but before the wound over his cheek and brow could be closed, he wrapped his hand around Cenobia’s wrist. "Leave it. I want to remember this."

Cenobia looked to Athras who scowled but nodded.

"You can leave it, but you’ll be the one to explain it to your mother. I’ve got the rest of this mess to clean up," Athras replied coldly and walked out. 


End file.
